Syrian refugees on Tuesday shoveled sand into sandbags to help Rochdale, one of the towns hit hard by floods in northern Britain, to repay the kindness the country has shown in accepting them, The Guardian reported.
"We saw the pictures on TV and wanted to help," Yasser al-Jassem, 35, a teacher who came to Britain in the back of a truck from Calais in May, told Helen Pidd, one of the newspaper's senior editors. "The people of Greater Manchester have been very good to us and so we wanted to offer our help to them."
The Manchester Evening News quoted al-Jassem, who said he "put out a call through WhatsApp and immediately had many other Syrian refugees join me."
Pidd posted a picture on Twitter of eight men, presumably the Syrian refugees, chipping in to help the community on Tuesday afternoon.
Syrian refugees helping fill sandbags in Rochdale today. They say they want to repay the kindness shown to them. pic.twitter.com/NyUQQq5lAf— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) December 29, 2015
The Syrians' gesture comes as weather forecasters predict more heavy rain and hurricane-force winds of historic proportions to slam northern England, Scotland and Wales.
Known as Winter Storm Frank, it has already caused sever flooding resulting in the collapse of roads and bridges. Hundreds of people have been forced to evacuate their homes, while businesses and cars are under water.